Steam-conserver for cannery cookers and exhausts



0. L. MERRITT AND W. P. JONES.

STEAM CONSERVEH FOR CANNERY COOKERS AND EXHAUSTS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 7. I9I9. I

1,344,809. Patented rune 29, 1920.

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STEAM CDNSERVER FOR CANNERY COOKERS AND EXHAUSTS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 7, 1919.

1,344,809 Patented June 29, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

l /A/vE/v ms lrl'n L.' Mrrii Willian?, P. 701e as' @1mm/:frown ORRIN L. MERRITT ANDWILLIAM P. JONES, 0F STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA.

STEAM-CONSERVER FOR CANNERY COOKERS AND EXHAUSTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 29, 1920.

Application filed March 7, 1919. Serial No. 281,153.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, ORRIN L. MERRITT and WILLIAM P. JONES, both citizens of the United States, residing at Stockton, in the county of San Joaquin, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam-Conservers for Cannery Cookers and Exhausts; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had'to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in steam conservers for cannery cookers and exhausts.

In the present state of the canning art, the canned product is subjected to two steam treatments one to heat the product sufficiently to discharge or exhaust the air therefrom prior to the cover being put onto the can or sealed, and the other to cook the product after the covers have been sealed on.

Some products need to be cooked under pressure. wWith present methods it is necessary to place the products in a closed retort. Our device is intended and adapted to be used with such cooking retorts to save the steam therein and prevent its escape.

The prime object of our invention therefore is to do away with this waste of steam and the conditions accompanying such waste, and to introduce the cans into and out of the'cooker in a manner to prevent the escape of steam therefrom by the interposition of our steam conserver in the port or entrano to the exhaust or cooker.

Anotheredbject is to provide a simple and inexpensivedevice, and yetl one which willV be extremely eiiicient for the purpose for which it is designed. 0

These objects we accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

On the drawings, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views. l

Figure 1 is a top plan view of our improved steam conserver, showing the same atached toa cooker, and `with one half of th top removed to show certain detalls thereunder. f

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cross section of the same.

Fig. 3 is a top section taken on a line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the conserver partly broken out, looking at the end adapted to be attached to the cooker.

Referring now more particularly to the numerals of reference on the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the base plate of the device, which is adapted to be supported from the ioor by adjustable standards 2.

Turnably mounted in the base is a vertical shaft 3 on which is keyed a circular smooth surfaced plate 4, to which and above the same is secured a circular can conveyer 5, the latter being provided with a plurality of suitably sized niches or recesses 6 for the reception of cans therein.

The members 4 and 5 are surroundedby a flanged casing 7. bolted to the base plate -1 and extending part way around the periphery of the can receiving members, and by a flanged member 8 of bronze or some similar metal, which abuts against the ends of the casing 7 and follows the periphery of the members 4 and 5 for the distance between the aforesaid ends of the casing.

The casing is provided with a rectangular orifice 9 therein, of a size suitable to permit free passage of a can therethrough while the member 8 is provided with an orifice 10 of similar size to the orifice 9. The flanges 11 of this member 8 are drilled to adapt the sameto be bolted over the entrance flange12 of the cooker 13, which cooker has a rotating receiving disk 13EL suitably positioned in the entrance as is the common custom.

A cover 14 is bolted to the casing 7 and extends over the member 5 allaround the same, but is spaced therefrom. This cover and the member 7 are provided with alined lugs 15 whichy have adjustment bolts 16 therethrough, there being similar lugs 17 for a purpose as will appear. It is not necessary, however, that the member 5 should have close bearing contact with the casing 7. i

Positioned in front of the orifice 9 in the casing 7 and turnably mounted in the hase 1 is a shaft'19 on which is secured a disk 20 whose upper face is finished smooth and is on a level with the level of the plate 4. Secured to the shaft 19 above the disk 2O is a spider 21, whose arms are adapted to receive the cans delivered onto the disk 2O in spacedfsequence from the filler by means of a conveyer or disk suitably positioned relative thereto as is common in the art.

A guide bary23 projects from the side of the casing 7 to insure the cans being forced through the orifice 9 into the recesses 6 in the member 5.

This spider feeding mechanism is a common form of device used in canneries for this purpose, and we do not make any claims of novelty therefor.

It is of course understood that the member 5 is arranged to constantly rotate, and the spider 21 likewise but' in the opposite direction, the ratio of speed and the correct positioning of the recesses 6 relative to the arms of the spider 21 being designed so that such positioning will occur continually lduring the rotation of the members. This suitable rotation is accomplished by the following meansg- On the shaft 19 below the base 1 is a bevel gear 24 meshing with a similar gear 25 on a drive shaft 26, supported in bearings 27 `depending from the base 1, which shaft may be driven from any suitable source of power by means of a gear or sprocket 28 on said shaft,

On the shaft 26 is another bevel gear 29 meshing with a gear 30 on the shaft 3, the size of the gear 30 relative to the gear 24 being reversely proportionate to the number of recesses 6 relative to the arms of the spider 21, in this case 5 to 3. In other words, the gears are such that the member 5 will make 1 revolution to every l revolution of the spider.

Mounted in the member 5 and to one side of each recess 6 therein are rods 31 projecting up through the member 5 into the space between the same and the cover 14 and each having on that end a horizontal arm 32 adapted to bear against a pin 33 depending from the stationary cover 14.

On .the lower portion of each'rod 31 is a curved bar 34, normally rest'ing against the surface of the recess. A

Thel pin 33 is so positioned in the cover that with the rotation of the member 5,v

when each recess 6 comes into register with the exit passageway or orifice 10,A the arm 32 will be forced to turn and the barv 34 will be moved outwardly and will cause the can held in the recess 6 to be forced out therefrom and into the cooker 13, where it is taken by any of the various forms of conveyers used in the art.

As soon as the arm 32 passes out of range of the pin, which will be when the can has been completely. forced out of the recess 6, the rod 31 will snap back to its normal position, owing to suitable spring tension means 35 connected thereto.

In operation, the cans are first delivered into each successive recess 6 by the spider 21, the member 5 -turning in a clockwise direction, as indicated by the arrow. When each recess 6 is in alinement withthe exit or discharge orifice 10, the can therein is forced into the cooker 13, as previously eX- plained. This recess then becomes fullv of steam, and continues so until with the further rotation of the member 5, the orifice is completely inclosed by the member 8. At this point, a pipe 36 is interposed in the side of the member 8 which leads to one end of a cylinder 37 in which travels a piston 37EL actuated by a rod 38 which is operatively connected with an inclosed cam 39 turned by suitably timed gearing 40 from the drive shaft 26.

This piston is on the outward or suction stroke for the entire peripheral length of each recess 6 while the same is crossing the path of the pipe 36. As soon as said recess has passed the pipe 36, the latter is closed by the outside face of the member 5. During this period of rotation the backward stroke of the piston 37a takes place. As the steam cannot escape through the pipe 36, a check valve 41, which opens outwardly,

is interposed at any suitable point therein, and the steam is forced thence into a pipe 42, -which may lead where desired to again utilize the steam.

It will be noted that the peripheral width of the recesses being considerably greater than that of the circular portion of the member 5, the outward movement of the piston must take place for a greater proportionate period in the rotation of the drive shaft 26 than the return movement. Hence, we have shown a cam movement which may easily be designed to give the required proportionate times of travel.

VAlthough of course a small amount -of steam will remain in the pockets or recesses 6, the greater majority will be drawn out by the means just described. Y

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that we have reduced such a device as substantially ful ls the object of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit i of the invention, asdefined by the appended.

claims. 4

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination with a cannery cooker of a cylindrical casing adapted to be secured over the entrance to the cooker and having communication therewith, a rotatable member in the casing provided with peripheral recesses in spaced sequence and adapted to receive cans therein, a pivotally mounted rod in the edge of each recess, a curved arm on the rod normally spring-,pressed against the face of the recess positioned therein and adapted to partly encircle a can, and means to turn the rod and cause the arm to sweep across the recess when such recessl registers with the entrance to the cooker.

2. rFhe combination with a Cannery cooker of a cylindrical casing adapted to be secured over the entrance to .the cooker and having communication therewith, a rotatable member in the casing provided with peripheral recesses in spaced sequence and adapted to receivecans therein, a pivotally mounted rod in the edge of each recess,a curved .arm on the rod normally spring-pressed against the face of the recess positioned therein and adapted to partly encircle a can, a short spring-heldl arm on the rod above the recess, and a pin in` the casing `adapted to abut against the short arm to turn the rod and cause the curved arm to sweep across the recess when the latter registers with the entrance to the cooker.

3. The combination with a cannery cooker of a cylindrical casing adapted to be secured over the entrance to .the cooker and having communication therewith, a rotatableinem-l berin the casing provided with peripheral 1 'recesses in spaced sequence and adapted to receive cans therein, the rotatable member having steam tight connection with the casing, and the latter being provided with an inlet opposite its connection with the cooker, and a suction pump communicating with the casing at a point between the inlet thereofl andrits opening into the cooker, the suction stroke of the pump cordinating with the rotation of the recessed member to draw steam from each recess when the same has passed the entrance to the cooker a predetermined distance.

4. A. steam conserver for Cannery cookers comprising in combination with a cooker having an entrance port in the side thereof, a horizontal base plate supported from the' lground and positioned adjacent the entrance, a semicircular casing on the base plate provided with an orifice in the side thereof adapted to pass cans therethrough, a circular rotatable member in the casing provided with peripheral recesses adapted to receive cans therein, a semicircular flanged member adapted to be secured to the cooker over the entrance thereof, the flanged member being provided with an orifice for the passage of cans therethrough and `forming a steam tight connection with the periphery of the rotatable member, and adjustable means whereby the said member may be both attached to the base plate and casing :nd'adjusted relative to the rotatable memer. In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

. ORRIN L. MERRITT.

WILLIAM P. J CNES.

. Witnesses: BERNARD PRIVAT,

VIVIAN MORRIS. 

